Investment in gold in the form of coins, bars and medals
Coins, medals and bars, which would also be accepted as a means of payment in times of economic hardship, can also be considered for investment, worldwide. In the case of coins, it is advisable to distinguish between so-called investment coins and collector coins.
Investment coins are minted annually in comparatively high quantities, their market value is therefore quite close to their pure material value, since for them a lower premium must be paid for the occurrence of a relative shortage.[1] The prices per ounce are usually about 15% above the corresponding silver price, resulting primarily from the minting costs and the trade margin.
Important gold bullion coins
Probably the most famous gold coin - and due to its characteristic color also one of the most beautiful gold coins Nugget Gold and American Buffalo.
Important silver bullion coins
As a counterpart to the gold coins, there is also among the most significant Silver bullion coins a Silver Eagle, a Maple Leaf, a Libertad, a Britannia and one Philharmonic. However, there are also some silver-specific bullion coins, such as the Kookaburra, the Koala or the Panda. A special feature are the very popular Kiwi and the Chinese Lunar series represent. Since they come out every year with new motifs, these coins are insofar no longer to be considered as bullion coins, since they appear in relatively high annual numbers, but due to their great popularity among collectors, some have high premiums (although most of the aforementioned bullion coins are also minted annually, but then with the same motif, so that for the value of a coin, the respective year of minting usually does not play such a large role). It is therefore especially with the Lunar series, which is issued every year with a new animal motif, a hybrid form of bullion and collector coin, although it ultimately has more the character of a collector coin.
There are countless other collector coins and medals that feature a wide variety of motifs. Since their quantities are usually strictly limited, they sometimes have high premiums and not infrequently show significant increases in value over time. In this respect, collector coins can certainly achieve greater increases in value than bullion coins, whose performance is closely related to the development of the price of precious metals. However, this also means that the already higher premiums of collector coins will increase even further over time. However, it is questionable to what extent these premiums can still be realized on the market in times of crisis. It is more likely to be expected that the market will then be prepared to reward primarily the material value. In addition, a base effect occurs when precious metal prices rise sharply, so that even if the absolute premium remains the same, the relative premium falls. From a pure yield point of view, bullion coins are therefore preferable to collector coins.
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This guide is not so much about what mistakes you should avoid when buying gold and silver, but what differences and similarities or advantages and disadvantages the two precious metals gold and silver have in comparison? What to look for when buying gold or silver? How does the gold-silver ratio behave and where can you view this and much more red-hot information? You will receive our guide free of charge as a PDF file when you sign up for our newsletter.
Gold coins and silver coins as well as bars are exempt from the final withholding tax
Coins are exempt from the final withholding tax, so the speculation tax still applies to them, so gains are tax-free after one year. Gold coins are VAT exempt, silver co ins were subject to the reduced VAT rate of 7% until the end of 2013, which also applies to the one kilogram coins, which have the lowest premium in percentage terms.
Gold bars and silver bars
Numis sheets
Numisheets, of which five or six are published each year, are a popular investment alternative. These are a combination of a €10 silver commemorative coin (formerly DM10; weight: 18 grams) and a special stamp with the same theme, both issued by the German Federal Ministry of Finance. From this, Deutsche Post creates a numismatic sheet in which it embeds the coin and the stamp block. The reverse side contains information on the background of the respective commemorative occasion. For example, the first Numisblatt issued in February 1997 to mark the 500th anniversary of Philipp Melanchton's birth rose particularly sharply in value.